New York City's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has launched a new non-profit organization called 'Our Time' which aims to harness the grassroots momentum of his successful mayoral campaign. The group, classified as a tax-exempt 501c4 social welfare organization, plans to launch a round of campaign-style door-knocking next weekend to build support for Mamdani's campaign promises, starting with universal child care.
The non-profit was formed by former Mamdani campaign volunteers and its executive director Jeremy Freeman is working to avoid pitfalls similar to those faced by Mayor Bill de Blasio's previous organization 'Campaign for One New York', which was criticized for its fundraising practices.
Our Time plans to conduct its own fundraising, aiming to be more transparent than the law requires, with no donations from entities with business before the city and the names of donors who give more than $1,000 being published on their website.
The group aims to recruit 15,000 volunteers to lobby state lawmakers in Albany and is planning a week of action in January, along with NYS Tenant Bloc, to push for a rent freeze.
Critics are expressing concerns that the new organization may blur the line between Mamdani's campaign and his offshoot, but supporters argue that this grassroots energy will be critical to fulfilling the young democratic socialist leader's lofty goals.
"We're not just organizing, we're also building," said Divya Sundaram, Our Time's deputy executive director. "We want to make sure that Zohran Mamdani can deliver on his promises."
The non-profit was formed by former Mamdani campaign volunteers and its executive director Jeremy Freeman is working to avoid pitfalls similar to those faced by Mayor Bill de Blasio's previous organization 'Campaign for One New York', which was criticized for its fundraising practices.
Our Time plans to conduct its own fundraising, aiming to be more transparent than the law requires, with no donations from entities with business before the city and the names of donors who give more than $1,000 being published on their website.
The group aims to recruit 15,000 volunteers to lobby state lawmakers in Albany and is planning a week of action in January, along with NYS Tenant Bloc, to push for a rent freeze.
Critics are expressing concerns that the new organization may blur the line between Mamdani's campaign and his offshoot, but supporters argue that this grassroots energy will be critical to fulfilling the young democratic socialist leader's lofty goals.
"We're not just organizing, we're also building," said Divya Sundaram, Our Time's deputy executive director. "We want to make sure that Zohran Mamdani can deliver on his promises."
And 15,000 volunteers lobbying for rent freeze in January? That's a whole lotta people making a difference! 
Zohran Mamdani seems like an awesome leader, and I'm all about that grassroots energy 
Can't wait to see what Our Time achieves! 
. Mamdani's campaign promises sound legit but what happens when it comes to actual execution? i mean, have u seen de blasio's track record on gov? lets not get our hopes up too high 
. anywayz, 15k volunteers sounds like a lotta people to get on board with one guy's agenda... hope they dont lose sight of whats really important 
.
. Just another way to manipulate people into doing their bidding without being held accountable for their actions 
. And what's with the "no donations from entities with business before the city"? That's just a fancy way of saying "we'll take all your money, but we won't tell anyone where it came from" 
.
. Mark my words, this Our Time thing is just another example of politicians using "non-profits" as a way to sidestep accountability and enrich themselves at our expense 
like seriously who doesn't need universal childcare?? I've got two little ones and it's been a struggle trying to find affordable options, I know so many ppl in my building who are barely scraping by 
Jeremy Freeman seems super responsible too, like they're actually trying to avoid any sketchy fundraising practices 
only 15k volunteers needed tho, that's a pretty big ask, but I guess if we wanna see some real change... 
, I wonder if he'll be able to keep all his promises, but for now, let's give him some credit for getting started early! 
I'm all for grassroots energy, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here... maybe they just need to focus on building trust with the community first? 
? That's no joke 
. I'm all about that grassroots energy 
and his campaign promises are def some of the most ambitious ones I've seen in a while 
. And can we talk about how awesome it is to see more young ppl getting involved in politics 
? The future is looking bright! 
. Fingers crossed they can deliver on those promises 
And how will they balance giving power back to the community with not getting too caught up in campaign mode? 
Zohran's got some ambitious plans, and I hope he can make it happen! 